There are lots of ways to combo in Street Fighter IV, but before we get into that we should define what a combo really is. From the Abridged BS Dictionary of MRS, EIC, San Francisco:

Combo

Any string of attacks that become unblockable once the first hit in the string has connected. Example: If Ryu lands a j.HK from deep in, he can land from the jump and connect a c.MK before the opponent can recover from the first hit and block. When the second hit, the c.MK, connects, Ryu can cancel into his Hadoken and, again, the attack will connect before the opponent can recover from the last hit.

So a combo isn't just any combination of attacks, but specifically a combination of attacks that connect, one after the other, with the opponent unable to block them. If you start a combo and land the first hit, the opponent will be helpless until the combo ends (or until you botch the combo). You'll know you've landed a combo in Street Fighter IV when the game shows the combo counter on the screen.

There are five basic combo types in Street Fighter IV, four of them dating back to the days before Street Fighter even counted combos.

Jump-In Combos

Cross-Ups

A cross-up is similar to a jump-in and sets up the same combo options as do jump-in attacks. For more details on cross-ups, read our wake-up game breakdown .

Jump-in combos are probably the easiest to connect with. For the sake of discussion, we'll assume you're Ryu. Jump at an opponent with a j.HK attack to start the combo. When the j.HK connects, it puts the opponent into a fairly lengthy hit stun, allowing you to land from the jump and combo another hit. For a very basic jump-in combo with Ryu, connect a j.HK and, as soon as you touch the ground, follow with a c.HK.

This isn't terribly important, but it's worth knowing why jump-in combos work. Jump-in combos are similar to link combos—described below—in that you are forcing the opponent into a lengthy hit stun with a strong attack and then following quickly with another attack before the opponent recovers from that hit stun. What makes jump-ins unique is that landing from a jump effectively cancels the recovery animation of your attack. For a self-demonstration of the canceling effect of landing from a jump, try this. As Ryu, jump straight up in the air and immediately press HK. Ryu kicks on the way up, and as he comes down from the jump his leg spins around behind him. Now try jumping straight up again, only this time pressing HK just before you hit the ground. Ryu will perform the same kick, but the landing will cancel the lengthy recovery animation, letting you instantly follow with a ground attack.

Link Combos

Link combos rely on hit stun and quick attacks that can take advantage of that hit stun. More powerful attacks generally cause more hit stun, leaving a bigger window for linking in another hit, but also usually have more recovery time, making it more difficult to attack again before the opponent's hit stun wears off. A quick example of an easy link combo can be performed with Ryu. Stand right next to the opponent and quickly fire off three c.LK attacks. The c.LK doesn't cause much hit stun, but because the following c.LKs are so quick they are still able to combo.

A more useful example of a link combo, also with Ryu, again starts with a c.LK. After the c.LK lands, follow with a quick c.LP which creates enough hit stun that you can follow by landing a c.MP. The timing of link combos is pretty exact, so don't be surprised if your link doesn't always create a combo. But link combos are excellent for starting even more devastating combos, by way of canceling.

Cancel Combos

A cancel, at its most basic, is an action that interrupts another action. As we detailed above, jump-in combos are possible because the act of landing from a jump cancels the j.HK animation. But there are much more interesting ways to cancel.

The most common cancel combo is a two-in-one combo. A two-in-one starts with a normal attack that is canceled by a special or super attack. Here's an example of a two-in-one combo with Ryu: Ryu does a c.MK by pressing + MK that hits the opponent, and two-in-ones into a Hadoken by inputting + P before the c.MK animation completes. The Hadoken interrupts the c.MK attack after the kick has connected, making the combo possible. If you were to attack with a c.MK and follow with a Hadoken without canceling, the two attacks would not combo.

Most normal attacks can be canceled into special or super attacks, but not all. And note that not all normal attacks create enough hit stun for the ensuing special or super attack to actually combo. Experiment with your character of choice to find out which normals can be canceled, which specials can cause the cancel, and which series of attacks and cancels actually results in a combo.

Street Fighter IV also allows super combos to cancel special attacks, letting you connect with a special (like a regular Hadoken fireball) and then cancel that special to super (like Ryu's Shinku Hadoken) to form a combo. Generally, you'll want to utilize the two-in-one in order to execute the super combo's input before the special attack is finished. As Ryu, input + P to fireball and immediately follow with + P to two-in-one the Shinku Hadoken.

There's one more type of cancel combo, this one involving the Focus Attack that's new to Street Fighter IV. It's complicated, so check out our Focus Attack breakdown for the phat skinny.

Target Combos

Target combos—also known as chain combos—are similar to link combos but are much easier to execute. Similar to link combos, target combos involve connecting multiple normal attacks together to form the combo. Unlike link combos, the normal attacks in target combos are specially formulated to allow each following attack to cancel the previous attack. Typically, a normal attack cannot cancel another normal attack. But target combos break that rule.

Only some characters have target combos and they are always very specific (and listed in the moves list). There's no room for creativity with target combos—you take what you're given. Some examples of target combos include Ken's standing MP xx HP. On their own, target combos are typically not impressive, but you can combine them with other combos (like jump-ins and cancels) to build effective damage.

Juggle Combos

The systems for juggle combos have historically been pretty varied in Street Fighter. Street Fighter Alpha 3 has perhaps the most robust juggle combos, and while Street Fighter IV's juggles don't approach the absurdity of A3's, there is some room for a bit of juggling fun. A juggle combo involves connecting with an attack that causes the opponent to fall from the air and then connecting with another attack before they hit the ground.

Not all attacks that drop the opponent from the air leave the opponent vulnerable to a juggle, and even if you find an attack that leaves the opponent vulnerable to a juggle, not all attacks are capable of juggling. Typically, EX versions of special attacks are more likely to successfully juggle than non-EX versions. Super combos and ultra combos are also usually good about connecting as juggles.

A quick example of an effective juggle can be demonstrated with Sakura. Executing her standard Shunpukyaku does not set up a juggle, but an EX-Shunpukyaku will knock the opponent into the air, leaving him/her vulnerable to a juggle combo. In this specific case, Sakura can juggle with most any of her attacks. Her Sakura Otoshi string is an especially ripe example of juggling, letting you juggle the opponent three times in the air.

Now that you've understood the basics of comboing, it's time to start experimenting. All of the above combo types can work together to form longer, more complicated and more damaging combos. Here's an example of a combo that combines multiple combo types with Ryu: j.HK, s.HP xx Shoryuken xx FADC, Metsu Hadoken. You've got a jump-in, a two-in-once cancel, a Focus Attack Dash Cancel, and an ultra combo juggle all in one. And that's just one example. The possibilities are endless if you've got the creativity and dedication to piece together the effective combos necessary for success in the competitive field of Street Fighter.